South and Central Asia MAB Network (SACAM)

Asia and the Pacific Regional Networks

MAB representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka met in Dehra Dun (India) in February 2001 in the context of the "Regional Meeting of Co-ordinators of MAB National Committees and biosphere reserves in South and Central Asia". At this meeting, participants felt that closer collaboration through the creation of a sub-regional network could facilitate information exchange on biodiversity conservation, forest ecosystems, land degradation and rehabilitation in vulnerable ecological systems and waste management.

In 2002, MAB-Sri Lanka hosted the "South and Central Asian MAB Meeting of Experts on Environmental Conservation, Management and Research" in Hikkaduwa, which was attended by representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. One important outcome of the meeting was the creation of a new sub-regional MAB network entitled "South and Central Asia MAB Network (SACAM)".

In September 2004, the Islamic Republic of Iran hosted the 2nd SACAM Network meeting in Zibakenar, which focused on "Sustainable Eco-tourism in Biosphere Reserves and Similarly Managed Areas". The meeting was attended by representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.